Crash Bandicoot AI 2: Marsupial Against Machine
by crimson-knight87
Summary: Two months have passed since that terrible day, and Crash is now resting in peace. Little does he know of the epic battle that awaits him! Rated T for swearing and violence.
1. The Beginning of the End

Chapter 1 - The Beginning of the End

"Morning Crash, hope you're ok!"

The cheerful words of Coco rang out in Crash's ears as he slowly sat up, yawning, to another peaceful day on N.Sanity island.

Two months had passed since that terrible day, where Crash almost lost everything he cared for, at his own hands, thanks to the twisted mind of Cortex. But now, he was no more, his castle had been destroyed, and peace now reigned throughout the island.

"Morning sis," Crash replied with a smile.

"Come on Crash, you said you were going to go for a walk on the beach with me today!"

Crash grinned, "Of course, how could I forget! I'll be with you in a sec sis"

Coco bounds out of the room to wait outside for her brother. Crash gazes out of the window at the tranquil surroundings.

"_To think, two months ago, I was destroying that very jungle out there," _Crash thought to himself, "_what a terrible day that was, it'll be staining my mind for the rest of my life"_

"Come on Crash, what's keeping you?" Coco called out.

"Coming!" Crash put on his shoes quickly and rushed outside to meet his sister.

While all this was happening, Aku Aku and Crunch were sorting through stacks of books that had been left lieing around. There was a whole manajory of subjects, Potions and Their Effects, A Beginner's Guide To Necromancy and Wumpa Fruit Recipes were just a few. When Crash had slammed the door shut behind him, Crunch spoke to Aku.

"It's good to have things back the way they were, don't you think Aku?" Crunch said while stretching his massive arms.

However, Aku Aku remained silent. Crunch stared at him for what seemed like an eternity before speaking out.

"What's the matter Aku?" Crunch questioned.

The friendly mask turned slowly towards Crunch, a frown upon his face.

"I can still sense a great evil within me, it has been growing every day. I have not wanted to say anything as to not worry Coco and Crash, but I cannot keep it in me any longer."

Crunch's mouth dropped open.

"You don't mean......?" Crunch was stopped short.

"Yes, Cortex is still alive!"

Crunch staggered back, almost falling over a nearby table in the process.

"But how is that even possible, we saw his castle collapsing, there's no way he could have survived!"

"Don't ask me how, but Cortex has survived, and I fear for the worst."

Crunch did not like the sound of this one bit, he pounded a giant fist into the wall.

"So what are we gonna do? Sit around on our asses doing nothing? We have to do something!"

"Haven't you learnt nothing from the last experience?" Aku exclaimed, "the last time you rushed into action, you were killed!"

Crunch suddenly felt his cheeks turning red, he knew he shouldn't have argued with Aku Aku.

"You're right Aku, so what SHOULD we do?"

"We need to gather our strength, and wait to see what happens next, until then, there is not a lot we can do."

Crunch then remembered something.

"Shouldn't we tell Coco and Crash?" He questioned.

"No, at least, not yet. I shall tell them when I feel the time is right."

Crunch nodded in agreement.

"I need you to gether some fire wood for me Crunch, could you go out and get some for me?"

"Sure thing Aku."

Without saying another word, Crunch swung the front door open and went outside to search for some wood.

Aku Aku floated towards the window and gave a deep sigh.

"I hope that I am wrong with my preminitions," he said, thinking out loud, "but a gut feeling inside me is telling me that the battle with Cortex is far from over."


	2. Construction

Chapter 2 - Construction

A foul mist filled the air at the ruins of what was once Cortex Castle. No living creature dared venture there, the smell of death and decay was rife, and the surrounding area was a desolate wasteland. There was no movement at all, not even the few remaining trees stirred. Everywhere was silent, until suddenly, there was a small shuffle within all the rubble. The bricks and mortar moved aside, and from underneath appeared a small mechanical hand, it's five fingers twitching, as though trying to sense something. It then began to dart quickly through the piles of debris, like a starving rat. The hand came to rest on a huge stone slab that overlooked what was left of the laboratory. The glass tubes which once housed many of Cortex's test subjects were now shattered, control panels were broken, and there, in the middle of it all, lay a dark, metallic figure. The hand made it's way to the huge entity.

"uuuuughhhh, what happened." A monotonous voice rang out, there was no mistaking the robotic voice of Cortex, his face now half covered in a steel plate from where he fused himself with his own machinery two months ago.

Because Cortex had made himself almost inhuman, he was able to survive the explosion two months ago, albeit with drastic consequences, his body parts now lay somewhre in all the mess. However, becoming a machine had it's bonuses. He could no longer feel any pain, he had no emotions, and one thing still stayed in his mind, he HAD to destroy Crash Bandicoot.

"Oh, my left hand!" Cortex scrabbled for his missing hand and slotted it back onto his arm with a click, "but where are my leg's?"

Cortex crawled across the ground for hours trying to find his leg's, which he finally found several metres away, sticking out from a pile of metal. He quickly attatched them to himself.

"Status check!" Cortex shouted. A high pitched voice responded to him.

"_Movement is steady and functional, optical readings 80 and increasing, overall status, stable. Current objectives, kill Crash Bandicoot. Status check complete"_

"Excellent," Cortex gave a quiet laugh.

Cortex's leg's creaked into life as he slowly and surely made his way onto his now robotic feet. He stepped once, twice, thrice. His leg's seemed to be working fine now, each step making the ground tremble.

"_Now how do I go about destroying Crash once and for all?"_

Cortex scanned the horizon for anything that may help him when he caught a glimpse of red. He ambled towards the area, where he found creatures of all shapes and sizes, motionless, lifeless, drowning in a sea of crimson. What were once his test subjects were now food for the maggots. That's when Cortex had the idea.

"_Of course, THAT is how I stop Crash Bandicoot, I'll start work right now!"_

With the ingenious idea still buzzing aroud in his head, Cortex began work on his master plan, a plan that would surely mean the end of Crash, and all other civilisation on the island.


	3. Thought's Become Reality

Chpater 3 - Thought's Become Reality

The door of crashes hut is slammed shut, as Crash and Coco return from their peaceful walk on the beach.

"That was a great walk Crash, I really enjoyed it," Coco said, smiling up at her brother.

Crash, however, wasn't smiling, he was staring at Aku Aku, who in turn was staring back at him.

"Crash, Coco, we need to talk," Aku's words filled with tension.

"Look, if it's about the exploding wumpa fruit, I can explain...."

"No, it is something far, far more serious than that, I suggest you both take a seat."

Crash and Coco did as they were told, when Aku Aku mentioned the word serious, they knew something major had happened. Crunch appeared from the kitchen area, his face also serious.

"I have been keeping something inside me for some time now, as I feared I may cause distress for you."

Every word that Aku Aku said seemed to be painful for him.

"I hope that the feeling I have inside of me is wrong, but......"

"What is it?" Coco questioned.

".....I fear that doctor Cortex is still alive!"

A silence fell over the hut. The atmosphere was so tense you could cut it with a knife. Crash stared at Aku Aku, then stared at Coco, before staring back at Aku again. After several minutes of constant staring, the silence was broken.

"That can't be true Aku, it just can't be," Crash retorted.

"I hope I am wrong too, but something just doesn't seem right, I still sense great evil."

"Well hey, I'm sure if Cortex was gonna do something, he would have done something by now," Crunch spoke up, "so, for the time being, I guess there's nothing to worry about, if we beat him once we can beat him again right?"

Another silence fell on the hut. This time, Aku Aku broke the silence.

"I suggest we all get some sleep now, and not to fill our minds with worry."

"It's ok Aku Aku," Coco replied, "we won't worry, we know things will pull through in the end, they always do."

With no more words spoken, everyone went to rest for the night.

It was the middle of the night, and the moon was bathing everything in a hauntingly beautiful white glow. Everyone was alseep, all that is, apart from Crash, his eyes wide open, his mind was racing with the conversation he had thatevening with Aku Aku.

"_Aku Aku has to be wrong," _Crash thought, "_I saw Cortex die with my own eyes and his castle crumble on top of him, no normal human being could survive such a thing."_

Crash knew that he would not be able to sleep that night, so he carefully made his way out of bed and trough the front door, to walk on the beach.Crash looked around him, at the tranquility of the place, everything seemed too peaceful for Cortex to be alive. As much as Crash trusted Aku Aku, he doubted the wise masks judgements this time. No sooner had Crash thought these words that he heard something moving in the undergrowth to the right of where he was situated. He quickly looked round, but saw nothing there.

_"That's funny, I could have sworn something was there. Must have been the wind."_

As the moon was hidden by a thick cloud, Crash turned to head back to the hut, as it was almost morning. However, something was blocking his way, something big. The cloud cover dispersed, to reveal a huge tiger standing in the marsupial's way, but this was no ordinary tiger. Crash saw that it had metal plating all over it's body, one of it's eyes was glowing a menacing red, it's teeth glistening in the moonlight, and it's claws were sharpened to lethal spikes. The creature gave a low growl.

"What the hell.........!?"

Crash had no more time to think as the tiger leapt at Crash, who barely moved out of the way in time to avoid those lethal claws. The tiger quickly turned round and lashed it's tail, which connected with Crash's jaw with some force, Crash was sent flying, and landed in a flurry of sand and blood. Crash groaned as the tiger slammed a massive paw onto his face.

_"This is it, I'm going to die," _Crash thought, his hopes of escaping now dwindling.

The mighty creature raised a metallic paw to deliver the finishing blow, when.......

"STOP!"

The tiger looked over it's shoulders and walked away from Crash slowly. He couldn't believe his luck, someone had saved him from death. But his hopes were soon shattered as he glanced over to where the tiger was walking to. The face was all too familiar.

"Cortex!"

"Well well well, if it isn't Crash Bandicoot," Cortex's robotic voice rang out, "how do you like my new pet?"

Crash tried to stand up, but the tiger snarled, baring it's teeth, Crash decided it was better to stay on the ground.

"It's impossible, you died!" Crash shouted.

Cortex sniggered, "yes, that's what you thought, but you didn't think you could get rid of me that easily did you?"

"Damn you Cortex, what do you want?"

"I WANT TO GET RID OF YOU AND THE REST OF YOUR PATHETIC FRIENDS ONCE AND FOR ALL!" The very ground shook as Cortex's voice bellowed.

"You'll never win, not while there's a last breath in my body! Whatever you have planned, I will stop you!"

Cortex laughed, "not this time Crash, not this time. Most of your animal friends are now under my command, willing to do my every bidding!"

Cortex held up a cage that he had been carrying. To his dismay, Crash saw that it was filled with all kinds of animals, all had been transformed into robots. They were all staring blindly ahead, not moving, not even breathing. Crash gasped and stared in disbelief.

"you bastard! Have you no heart left in you at all?!"

"No, I don't!" Cortex dropped the cage and picked up Crash with one giant steel hand, "I think you have heard enough, now I will dispose of you, so you cannot ruin my plans."

Crash was struggling to breath, Cortex's grip was too tight to escape, "what are you.......going to do.......to me?"

"Oh, you'll find out, if you're not dead beforehand!"

Cortex raised his other clenched fist, Crash braced for the impact, then there was nothing.


	4. Preparing for War

Chapter 4 - Preparing for War

Crash opened his eyes slowly, his head was throbbing, and every single one of his ribs felt like they had been ripped apart. The sun was beating down on Crash, it looked like early afternoon, he must have been knocked out for a good few hours. After regaining his thoughts for a few minutes, he suddenly remembered how he came to be knocked out.

_"CORTEX! I have to warn the others!"_

Crash struggled to stand up, but to his dismay, he found himself tied down to the ground, there was no way he could escape, the thick ropes were binding him tightly.

_"How much worse could this get!" _he thought to himself.

As though something had read his thoughts, Crash heard a loud rumbling and an explosion, it also started to get very, very hot.

_"Oh no!" _Crash realised where he was.

He was tied down at the base of the N.Sanity volcano, which was now just beginning to erupt, the lava was slowly oozing towards him, he was about to be burnt to a crisp. Drops of sweat started to pour down Crash's face as he tried desperately to free himself, but to no avail. Crash gave up all hope of freeing himself, when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of orange.

_"Oh great, has that mechanical tiger come to rip my heart out before I become a chargrilled mess?" _he gave a groan.

Crash saw the blur of colour again, it was too small to be a fully grown tiger. Crash's eyes lit up, it had to be Pura.

"PURA, OVER HERE!" Crash shouted at the top of his voice.

A loud mew was heard, and the tiny tiger cub came bounding towards Crash.

"Oh Pura, thank god you're here!"

Pura gave a soft purr and licked Crash's face.

"There will be more time for that later Pura, hurry, try to bite through these ropes tieing me down."

The lava was almost upon Crash and Pura, his fur was starting to singe. Pura bit furiously through the rope clutching Crash's left hand.

"Hurry Pura, hurry!" Crash said with a panic-stricken voice.

At last, Crash felt some relief in his left hand, Pura had done it. Crash wasted no more time untieing his legs and remaining hand, and without a moment to lose. As Crash and Pura were running down the volcano, he saw the place where he was just bound to go up in flames, the ropes lost in a sea of lava.

"Come on Pura, we have to warn the other's of what Cortex is up to!"

Crash sprinted as fast as his leg's could carry him back to the safety of his hut, with Pura in tow.

Meanwhile, back at the Bandicoot's hut, everyone was starting to become more and more worried.

"Where could he be?" Coco said, trying to hold back the tears, "Pura hasn't come back either, I'm so worried."

"Don't worry Coco," Crunch replid, trying not to sound worried either, "If I know Crash, he'll be back."

The door of the hut swung open at that very moment, and there stood Crash, gasping for breath, his fur was black in some places.

"Oh my god, Crash, what happened!" Coco ran up to her brother and gave him a warming hug.

"I will...get to that...call Aku Aku...he needs to hear this."

Crash slumped into the nearest chair, exhausted, the others gathered round him. He then told them of his walk along the beach last night, how he encountered the robot tiger and Cortex, and how he barely escaped being burnt to death. Everyone's mouth's dropped open.

"So, my preminitions WERE true after all," Aku Aku declared, "It sounds like Cortex is producing a massive army, consisting of our fellow animal friends, except he has manipulated them and turned them into mindless killing machines, I never thought he would stoop so low."

Aku Aku gave a heavy sigh.

"This is not good, not good at all."

"Do you think now would be the time to take action?" Crunch questioned.

Aku Aku stared directly at Crunch.

"Yes, we have to take action immediately!"

Crash gave a puzzled look, "but who can we get to join us in the fight?"

"Anybody and everybody, every last living thing on this island can come to our aid."

The Bandicoots looked at each other.

"We will get as many creatures as we can to help us Aku," Coco said.

"Good, go now, and stop for nothing!"

The three friends took Aku's words and made their way into the jungle, to search for fellow allies.

Unbeknown to the bandicoots, their every move and word was being watched. A flurry of feathers shot back to the ruins of Cortex Castle, where a menacing looking parrot perched onto the huge steel shoulder of Doctor Cortex, who gave a sly chuckle.

"So Crash, you survived being burnt alive, never mind though, you don't stand a chance against me and my army, you will be wiped out!

The maniacal laugh of Cortex filled the air, as several hunderd pairs of eyes glowed menacingly in the setting sun.


	5. Preperations Are Complete

Chapter 5 - Preperations Are Complete

"Crash, is that Wumpa launcher working?" Crunch questioned.

Crash loaded up a wumpa fruit into the launcher and fired it at a nearby boulder, the wumpa fruit exploded into pile of mush.

"Yes, it's working fine!" Crash replied.

The three bandicoots had searched all night and had managed to gather two hundred fellow animal friends to aid them in the fight against Cortex. They were all busy preparing supplies, ready for whatever may come. Coco walked over to Crash with a worried look on her face.

"Crash, I don't like this!"

"None of us do sis, but we HAVE to fight,we cannot let Cortex win this battle!"

"But just look at the animals Crash, they don't know the first thing of combat!"

Coco pointed to the group of animals who had accepted to help. They were all looking at each other, confused looks across their faces. One curious gorilla was holding a wumpa launcher up to his face, but Crunch quickly took it away. Crash gave a sigh.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but we need all the help we can get in times like this. Everyone needs to help everyone else."

Coco lowered her head.

"Do you really think we can win this?" she asked.

There was a slight moment of silence before Crash turned and looked at his sister in the eyes and put his hands on her shoulders.

"All we can do is hope and pray that we can." Crash's voice quivered as he held back the tears.

The sun was beginning to set on another day, and it was starting to get cold, the wind was biting at everyone's faces.

"Come on, we'd better get some rest, who knows what tomorrow holds for us."

Crash, Coco and the others made their way back to the hut, all with sombre expressions, for tomorrow was the beginning of the war, and it could possibly be the last day of their lives.

Meanwhile, at the ruins of Cortex Castle, there was a huge amount of activity. Something was being constructed, something that had never even been dreamt of before, something evil, and something that would mean the end of N.Sanity island. The only being that knew exactly what the infernal contraption was, was Cortex.

One of Cortex's mindless, enslaved workers marched up towards Cortex, who was gazing out at the islands landscape.

"Preperations are complete, the first attack wave is ready, and the machine is being constructed as I speak!"

Cortex sniggered, "excellent work, make sure the animals are all ready to move at the break of dawn!"

"Yes sir!" with that said, the worker returned to his station.

"Tomorrow Crash, you will witness true power like you have never witnessed before, I hope you are ready for it!"


	6. It Begins

Chapter 6 - It Begins

"_This is it," _thought Crash, "_today is the day we thwart Cortex's plans_."

Crash looked around him, at his friends, his allies, his fellow war buddies. Everyone had a look of nervousness on their faces, and there was no reason for them not to have. No one had any idea what would face them, and no one knew if they would survive. At that moment, Crash saw Aku Aku coming towards him.

"Are you ready to move out Crash?" he questioned.

Crash paused for a second, before he made his final decision.

"Yes, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Ok Crash...may we all survive this day."

Aku Aku made his way to the centre of the gathering of people.

"Friends, it is finally time. I do not know what we may be facing, but we will face it head on, and we will face it together! Look out for each other out there. Now, let's face this evil that plagues our island, MOVE OUT!"

The two hundred strong group slowly made their way through the jungle, and it was not an easy journey. The undergrowth was hard to walk through, and many of the animals struggled to keep up. Crash, Coco and Crunch all walked together, with Pura by Coco's side. She gave a little mew of concern.

"Don't worry Pura, I'll look out for you, as I will do everyone else."

The vast, thick jungle suddenly dispersed, revealing a large clearing. There was nowhere to hide here.

"Everybody, stop!" Crash shouted.

Everyone stopped moving, and looked at Crash, who proceeded to walk up to Crunch.

"Look Crunch, up ahead."

Crunch stared into the distance, where he spotted a large mass of silhouettes edging towards them.

"Good god, there must be twice as many of them as there are us," Crunch said with a hint of terror in his voice, "we can't possibly win this!"

"We have to try Crunch, we have to try!"

Cortex's army was almost upon them, as Crash made his way to the front of the group, to confront his nemesis.

"CORTEX, YOU MONSTER, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO STOOP SO LOW, THESE ANIMALS NEVER DID ANYTHING TO YOU!"

Cortex laughed, "HAVE YOU NOT YET REALISED I DO NOT CARE ABOUT ANY WORTHLESS ANIMALS, THE LESS THERE ARE, THE BETTER, AND I WILL NOT REST UNTIL I HAVE ELIMINATED YOU!"

"You cold-hearted bastard!" Crash muttered under his breath.

"NOW MY MINIONS, ATTACK!" Cortex roared.

"OK GUYS, FORWARD, DON'T HOLD BACK!"

A flurry of metal and fur ensued, as the two groups clased head on. Crash and his group were heavily outnumbered, and the robotic animals were twice as strong as he'll ever be. Crash fired a wumpa fruit at two huge gorillas, which connctected with one of the creatures heads, knocking it over. He looked over to his left, and saw Crunch facing off against a panther. He threw it across the battlefield with some considerable force, but no sooner had he done that, another creature grabbed him from behind and wrestled him to the ground. Crash wished he could help his friends, but he too was having problems of his own.

"CRASH, WE'RE LOSING TOO MANY ALLIES," Coco called out, "WE CAN'T FIGHT MUCH LONGER!"

Crash looked around quickly, and saw that Coco was correct. He saw animals being torn limb from limb everywhere he looked, whereas his group were hardly making a dent in Cortex's defences. Blood was covering the ground, turning it a deep crimson in colour. Crash knew that they were fighting a losing battle.

"PULL BACK, FOR GOD'S SAKE PULL BACK!" Crash ordered.

Everyone knew they had no choice, and as they quickly turned and retreated back into the safety of the jungle, Cortex's voice rang out.

"DO YOU SEE CRASH, YOU CANNOT STOP ME THIS TIME, I WILL DEFEAT YOU!"

Crash collapsed onto the floor when they reached the safety of his hut. He looked at his friends, their faces covered in scratches and bruises. Crunch was quickly doing a head count, to see who was left.

"How many are there?" Crash asked.

"We only have seventy-three allies left, they totally decimated us Crash!"

Crash began to cry, his emotions finally taking over himself.

"This is it, we've failed. Cortex is finally going to win!"

"Never say that Crash," Aku Aku stated, "we can still win."

"NO WE CAN'T," Crash shouted, tears streaming down his face, "IT'S HOPELESS, WE CAN'T WIN!"

Crash ran into his hut and slammed the door behind him. Aku Aku stared at Coco and Crunch. Just from looking at their faces, he knew that what Crash had said was right. There really was no hope left for any of them.


	7. Stealth is of the Essence

Chapter 7 - Stealth is of the Essence

Crash stared blindly at the ceiling of his room, not knowing what to do with himself. He had just witnessed a horrific battle, where many of his friends had been killed. This really was the end for everyone.

_"How can we possibly win against such a large force?" _Crash thought to himself, the anger now boiling up inside him.

Crash walked up to his window and looked out towards the ocean. The sky was a deep crimson in colour, much like the blood stained battlefield he had fought on not so long ago. He gave a heavy sigh.

"_Come on Crash, this isn't like you, you don't just give up so easily, there MUST be a way to stop Cortex!"_

Crash slumped himself back onto his bed and started to ponder just what exactly to do. Time seemed to drag on forever, but finally, he came up with an idea.

"_I mustn't let the others know about this, I don't want them to become involved again"_

As quietly as he could, Crash opened his window, lifted himself out of his room and proceeded to walk directly to the ruins of Cortex Castle, alone.

After many hours had passed, Coco grew too impatient, rushed to Crash;s room and banged on the door.

"Crash, are you ok? you've been in there for hours, why won't you come out?"

There was no reply to her questions. Coco opened the door and burst into the room, she gave a small yelp as she realised there was no one in the room.

"Crunch, Aku, Crash isn't in his room!" she yelled.

Aku Aku and Crunch rushed to Crash's room and noticed the open window, the curtains billowing in the wind.

"Man, where could he have gone?" Crunch questioned.

"There is only one place that he could have gone to, Cortex Castle!"

"WHAT," Coco protested, "we have to get after him now, he's going to get himself killed!"

"No, something tells me Crash knows what he is doing, it is best to let him do what he has to do."

"I hope you're right Aku, I really do," Crunch said with a sigh.

Meanwhile, at the ruins of Cortex Castle, a small orange marsupial was carefully making his way up the long, winding path towards what was left of the castle. The air was brimming with evil intentions as Crash clambered up onto a large heap of rubble, and nestled himself up at the top. From where he was, Crash could see the entire area of the castle, and what he saw took his breath away.Hundreds upon thousands of robotic creatures were busily constructing what looked like a huge cannon.

_"So Cortex plans to destroy the entire island using the cannon? He is more insane than I first thought!" _Crash thought to himself in shock.

Crash peered over to his left, and saw the menacing object of Cortex ordering the creatures to do his dirty work.

"Come on you slackers!" He bellowed, "at this rate the cannon won't be finished on time, speed up, or I will have you terminated, do you hear me!"

"Yes master," one of the creatures replied, and quickly gathered up more scraps of metal.

"Soon Crash, I will destroy you, even if it means I annihalate this entire island to do so!" Cortex let out a maniacal laugh that rang out across the rubble.

"You bastard Cortex!" Crash muttered under his breath, "I have to go and warn the others."

Crash began to descend the rubble where he was situated, trying not to make any sound, so as not to be detected. Suddenly, an entire chunk of the rubble came loose without warning. Crash looked on in horror as the debris cascaded down and collided with heaps of metal down below. The noise attracted the attention of Cortex, who glimpsed a blur of orange darting away from the castle.

"IT'S CRASH, AFTER HIM, DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!"

"Shit, they've spotted me"

Crash ran like he had never ran before. He looked behind him and saw a group of twenty or so robots chasing after him, their claws out, their teeth bearing, they were out to kill him.

"_There's no way I can keep this up for long, how can I lose them?" _Crash started to panic. Then, an idea sprang into his head.

Crash made a sharp turn left and bolted down the path there, the robotic creatures hot on his tail.

_"I think I'm starting to lose them_" Crash hoped.

He came to a grinding halt as he came face to face with a cliff overlooking the river that flowed through the jungle. He could hear the snarls and growls of the robots coming closer, he had no choice, he had to jump. Without a second thought, Crash closed his eyes, held his breath, and jumped.


	8. The Best Course of Action

Chapter 8 - The Best Course of Action

Crunch slammed a giant fist onto a nearby table and growled impatiently. Everyone had been waiting for Crash's return for a good five hours now, and there was still no sign of him.

"I hate it when Crash does this!" Crunch protested.

"Don't worry Crunch," Coco said reassuringly, "I'm sure he's ok."

"DON'T WORRY!" Crunch bellowed, "he leaves us in the middle of the night, not telling us what he's doing and you're telling me not to worry!"

"Coco is right Crunch," Aku Aku spoke up, "we must all have faith in Crash, if I know him well enough, he will return safely."

Crunch groaned, "but you can't be too sure about that!"

At that very moment, the door to the hut swung open, and there, standing on the porch, completely drenched and gulping for air, was Crash.

"CRASH!" Everyone cried out at once.

Coco rushed to her brother, and helped him down onto a seat. As Coco took a closer look at Crash, she saw his body was covered in bruises and cuts.

"Oh my god Crash, what happened to you?"

Crash looked straight at his sister. A heavy silence followed, but finally, Crash spoke.

"Everyone, sit down, and I'll tell you everything."

Crash told Coco, Crunch and Aku Aku everything he saw. The construction of the cannon, the hundreds of robotic creatures doing Cortex's every bidding, and how he was chased by them and forced to dive into the river.

"That is how I managed to get all of these bruises and cuts, because, as you know, I cannot swim," Crash explained, "I'm lucky to be alive!"

"I'm just glad to see you're alright," Crunch replied.

"Well, the next thing we need to do, is find a way of stopping Cortex's plans," Aku Aku exclaimed.

"Whatever we do, we must not involve any more of our animal friends," Crash demanded, "too many lives have been lost already, and I don't think I could bear to see any more to be lost."

"That is fair enough Crash, but if that is the case, then we shall have to do this by ourselves."

"I noticed a large storehouse next to the cannon's construction site. I reckon that is where they're keeping all of the supplies to buold the cannon. If we can destroy that, there will be no way they can finish construction."

Aku Aku pondered this for a while, his mind was working overtime, but in the end, he agreed.

"It looks like that is the only possible solution. We shall destroy the storehouse, and be rid of Cortex's evil schemes once and for all!"

Aku Aku turned to Crunch.

"Crunch, go down into the basement, and gather up all of the TNT crates you can find down there."

Coco gave Aku Aku a shocked look, "We have TNT crates in the basement?"

"Oh yes Coco, I have been storing them for just such an occasion. I have been thinking of every possible solution to stop Cortex, ever since what happened two months ago, and I knew they would come in useful at some point in time."

Crash smiled, "That's just like you Aku, you're always one step ahead."

Aku Aku smiled back, "Now, it is best you get some sleep Crash, because tomorrow, we shall set out for the ruins of Cortex Castle once again."

"You're right Aku," Crash yawned, "I'll see you in the morning."

As Crash made his way to his room, Coco turned to Aku Aku again.

"Are you sure this plan will work?" she questioned.

"It HAS to work Coco," the gentle mask replied, "for if not, it will mean the end of N.Sanity island as we know it!"


	9. Destruction and Hope

Chapter 9 - Destruction and Hope

Crunch strained as he lifted the last of the TNT crates onto a large wooden cart by the side of the hut.

"Okay, that's the last of them!" He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Excellent Crunch, we are finally ready," Aku Aku declared.

Light was starting to bathe the hut and the surrounding area in a warm and peaceul glow, as a slight breeze flowed over the bandicoots faces.

"This is the calm before the storm," Crash announced, "we may as well make the most of it while we can."

"We shall have to do this while we walk, there is no time to waste young bandicoots," said Aku Aku

Although disappointed that they could not gaze at the beautiful scene for any longer, the bandicoots knew Aku Aku was right. Crunch gripped both handles of the cart and lifted it up with the greatest of ease. With that, they all set off, once again, to the ruins of Cortex Castle.

As the group were slowly trudging their way through the thick undergrowth, Aku Aku was going over the plan of action.

"We must not let Cortex know the we are planning to destroy the cannon's storage facility, therefore, myself and Crunch will create a diversion and keep the enemies attention away from you and Coco, Crash."

Crash took in a deep breath.

"I suppose this means that myself and Coco are to destroy the facility?"

The wise mask nodded, "you would be correct. How you get to the facility is up to you Crash, as you know the layout better than any of us."

Crash began to think of ways to reach the facility without arousing suspicion. An idea finally came to him.

"I noticed there is still some vegetation to the West side of the castle. We could use that to our advantage, it basically leads us to the facilities door's."

"So it is settled, myself and Crunch shall lead the enemies towards the east side of the castle, while yourself and Coco shall make your way to the facility, and plant the TNT."

From that moment on, everyone remained silent, not daring to speak, in case they were heard. The jungle finally dispersed as they came out onto the clearing, where their last bloody battle had been fought, the grass still stained with the blood of the dead. There, just ahead of them, were the remains of Cortex Castle.

"Ok, this is where we must split up," Crash announced.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"We SHALL make it out of this alive, I know we will. Now, let's put an end to Cortex's tyranny once and for all!"

The group then parted ways, the sound of Crash's voice resonating hope and confidence within them.

At the Castle

Crunch slowly peered out from an outcrop of rock, and gave a slight gasp as he surveyed the area of Cortex Castle for the first time.

"It's even worse than Crash described it. That robotic bastard is going to pay dearly for this!"

Crunch clenched his fist and was about to leap from the outcrop, but Aku Aku stopped him in time.

"I know how you must feel Crunch, but we must wait until Crash and Coco are in position. If we rush out too early, then the plan may fail.

Crunch slumped back, "yeah, you're right Aku, thanks."

he mask smiled, "with my magic and your strength, Crunch, we may just do this, I believe we can."

"I sure hope you're right," Crunch sighed and peered from the outcrop once more.

In the distance, Crunch spotted the blurry images of Crash and Coco, as they were slowly edging towards the vegetation, the cart full of TNT crates right behin them.

"They're almost there Aku," Crunch proclaimed.

"This is it Crunch, our final battle against Cortex. I believe in you and all of us, we shall prevail, good always does triumph over evil."

As Aku Aku finished, Crash and Coco disappeared from sight.

"This is it, LET'S GO!"

Crunch yelled at the top of his voice, as he and Aku Aku leapt from the outcrop, to face the hordes of robotic minions down below.

Meanwhile, Crash and Coco used the last ince of strength in their bodies, and pulled the cart into the thick vegetation. Both of them collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.

"We finally made it Crash," Coco gasped.

"Yes, but it's not over yet, we need to get this TNT inside the facility, but we have to wait until the coast is clear.

Coco didn't answer, but simply stared at Crash.

"What is it sis?" he asked.

"I may not ever get the chance to say this again Crash, but you know that I will always love you."

Crash walked over to his sister and hugged her tightly.

"I love you too sis, and don't worry, you WILL be able to say those words again, as we WILL get out of this alive, right?"

Coco nodded, "Right!"

At that moment, the two bandicoots heard a large commotion coming from the other side of the castle. As they turned to see what it was, they glimpsed the figures of the robotic creatures rushing away from their direction.

"It's time, Coco, come on, quickly, we must get this TNT into the facility!"

Crash and Coco lifted up a stack of the crates and hurried over to the looming entity of the cannon's base, where the facility was situated. The metal girders creaking and straining, as though it could not take the weight of the cannon, it was truly a disturbing sight. Crash placed the crates carefully on the floor, so as not to set them off, Coco did the same. Crash tried to open the door, but naturally, it was locked. He took a few steps back, braced himself and rushed at the door, which burst open with a loud thud. Crash looked around to see if anyone had heard the noise, but as he glanced around, he saw the creatures battling with Crunch and Aku Aku in the distance.

"Hang in there guys," he whispered as he picked up the TNT crates once more.

The innards of the facility were strangely quiet. There didn't seem to be any guards anywhere at all, it seemed too easy for Crash, but he didn't want the opportunity to go to waste. He lined the walls with the TNT, as did Coco on the other side.

"Look at all of this material Crash, there's no way the cannon can finish without it!"

"Exactly sis, now come on, let's get some more TNT"

The two bandicoots rushed back to the cart, and hoped they would do this in time.

On the other side of the castle, the fight was ragin with intense ferocity, as Crunch swung a huge fist, which connected with the stomach of a gorilla. The beast emitted a loud mechanical roar as it leapt towards Crunch. Just before it was about to connect, a bolt of electricity hit it from behind. The creature landed with a thud.

"Thanks Aku!" Crunch shouted.

"Anytime Crunch," Aku Aku replied, as he shocked another nearby creature.

_"Crash and Coco are taking longer than expected," _Aku Aku thought to himself, _"if they don't hurry, they may be found out."_

"Don't stop fighting Crunch, we must not stop!"

Crash placed the last of the TNT crates into the facility, beads of sweat trickling down his face.

"Ok Coco, this is it, be prepared to run!"

Coco didn't need reminding, as she was already running towards the entrance. Crash slammed a fist down onto the TNT crate he had just placed, which started to beep loudly.

"GO GO GO!"

"Look, Aku, it's Crash and Coco, they've done it!"

Aku gazed into the distance, and saw Crash and Coco dive into the vegetation, he knew exactly what to do next.

"RUN CRUNCH!"

The two of them fled as fast as they could, with the creatures hot on their trail. Within seconds, a huge explosion emitted from the facility, flames and smoke billowing out, metal and stone flying in all directions. Some of the creatures were sent flying from the impact of the explosion. A loud creak of metal was heard as the huge structure of the cannon collapsed around the ruins, a huge cloud of dust erupted, blinding everyone in sight.

Crash and Coco coughed as they heaved themselves off the floor. As the dust cleared, they saw that the cannon had been reduced to a pile of scrap metal.

"WE'VE DONE IT CRASH!" Coco shouted with joy.

"Look, it's Crunch and Aku Aku!"

The images of Aku Aku and Crunch appeared. Crash and Coco rushed over to them.

"We've finally done it!" Crash declared.

"Well done everyone! I knew we could do it!"

"Way to go Crash, I knew you had it in you!" Crunch gave Crash a gentle tap the shoulder, in compliment.

"Come on everyone, let's go home!" Crash smiled.

However, as the group were setting off, an all too familiar sound started to grow louder in volume.

"Ha ha ha HA HA HA HA HA!"

Everyone turned sharply, and their mouths dropped open.

"No!"

"How can it be?"

From the wreckage of the cannon, appeared the daunting form of Cortex. He let out another hearty laugh.

"You poor pathetic creatures, did you really think this was the end? You have fallen right into my ploy!"

"WHAT!" Everyone shouted.

"BEHOLD!"

The ground around the bandicoots feet began to tremble. The vibrations grew louder, and, on a nearby hillside, from underneath the soil, emerged another cannon, even larger and more menacing than the last. Cortex laughed evilly.

"You fools thought this was the real cannon, did you not? Well, you were sorely mistaken. The one you have just destroyed was a mere decoy, while my minions worked tirelessly to produce this masterpiece of technology you see before you."

Crash whimpered, "no."

"NOW YOU SHALL WITNESS THE DESTRUCTION OF THIS ENTIRE ISLAND, BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES!"

"Are you insane Cortex! That means you will be killed as well!" Coco responded.

"Oh, that is a price I am very willing to take."

"My god, you really ARE pure evil!" Crash growled.

"Do you think I like living inside this metal shell? NO! At least if I know you areexterminated from this world, I shall once again be satisfied. NOW, WITNESS THE END!"

"Shit, run for your lives!" Crash yelled.

Everyone dove for the nearest thing they could call a shelter, held their hands to their ears and prayed. A huge roar was heard, a blinding flash engulfed the entire island. Then there was nothing.

Everyone slowly opened their eyes. Were they dead? No, very much alive. Crash felt the earth beneath his feet, and was grateful for still being able to feel it. He slowly threw the shards of metal aside that had saved his life and peered out onto the area. The scene shocked him to the core. Everything had been obliterated, there was no sign of life anywhere. No animals, no plants, just empty space, but at least that meant that Cortex was no more, but he had surely left his mark on the island. To the left of himself, he saw some rubble being pushed aside, and out of the darkness emerged Coco, Aku Aku and Crunch, bruised and cut, but otherwise unscathed, ther quick wits also saving their lives. They all gasped as they saw what had happened.

"So, Cortex DID win after all!" Crash said, dismayed.

After their valiant efforts to save the island, it was to no avail. Crash fell to his knees and began to sob.

"What do we do now?" he wailed, tears streaming down his eyes,"DAMN YOU CORTEX!"

No one spoke, no matter what anyone said now, nothing could change their situation, the life they once knew had been violently turned around.

Crunch looked around slowly and noticed Coco was missing.

"Hey Crash, where did Coco go?"

"Everyone, over here!" the faint voice of Coco was heard.

They all rushed to her, and saw she was pointing to something nearby.

"Look!"

Everyone looked at where she was pointing, and gasped once again. Out of all the destruction and chaos, a small clump of trees had miraculously survived the destruction. They all rushed towards them. As they got closer, the trees seemed to lean over them, almost in a friendly manner. Crash couldn't help but smile.

"No, Cortex didn't win!"

A wumpa fruit landed near Crash's feet, which split open, and scattered it's seeds everywhere.

"Look. With these seeds, we can rebuild the island to the way it was. Trees will start to grow again, and that will attract animals. We could also build a new home with the materials. Cortex didn't win, in fact, he may have made the island a better place, knowing we won't be plagued by his evil any more."

Crunch, Coco and Aku Aku looked at Crash and smiled.

"In the end, Cortex thought he had defeated us, but these trees are a sign of hope to us all," Aku Aku said, his words resounding with happiness.

Crash grabbed a handful of seeds, placed them in his pockets and ran into the woodland.

"Come on everyone, this is the start of a new, more peaceful life for all of us."

THE END


End file.
